KLAIPEDA, LITHUANIA, TIŠKEVIČIAI PALACE, AND MORE AMBER!

Monday, August 10, 2026
Klaipeda, Lithuania
65F with sun, clouds, rain in the afternoon

 

Gardens outside the estate

at Palanga

We have only stopped in two ports so far and we are tired! Going to bed after 11 p.m., turning the clock ahead an hour so now we are Eastern European Summer Time (so it was really midnight), then getting up at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. for tours is already wearing us out!  Add over 10,000 steps a day and you have two tired cruisers!  From August 9 to August 15, we have 7 straight ports to play in!  That is only keeping us young and fit, right?

Today’s port is Klaipeda, Lithuania. Klaipėda is Lithuania’s third-largest city and its only major seaport. Situated on the Baltic coast, it is famous for its distinct German-influenced, half-timbered architecture, the bustling Old Town, and as the primary ferry gateway to the pristine beaches and pine forests of the Curonian Spit. The city’s population is 160,082 residents. 

Among Lithuanian cities with a population greater than 100,000, Klaipėda has the highest percentage of people whose native language is Russian.  Lithuania’s population is about 2.8 million.

As it turned out, the Klaipeda ORC (Offshore Racing Congress) European Championship 2026  Klaipeda officially opened today, bringing leading offshore yacht racing teams from across Europe to Lithuania’s port city. This has added a bit more excitement to the port area.

Our tour guide today, Ema, provided some information about Lithuania. The first humans arrived in the territory of modern Lithuania around 10,000 years ago, after the last Ice Age, as traveling hunters from regions including the Jutland Peninsula and present-day Poland.

Following the partitions of Poland in 1795, Lithuania came under Russian Empire control. The 19th century saw several uprisings, notably in 1831 and 1863, as Lithuanians resisted foreign domination.

Lithuania declared independence on 16 February 1918, establishing a democratic state. After Soviet occupation during and after World War II, Lithuania restored its sovereignty on 11 March 1990, becoming the first Soviet republic to break away. Its independence was internationally recognized in 1991. Lithuania joined NATO in 2015 and the European Union in 2004, solidifying its place in modern Europe.  Euro is the currency. Lithuania is considered a Parliamentary Democratic Republic.

Ema said, “Humanism and love came back to our country.”  That is an astounding statement to me.

The theme seems to be the same in the two countries we have visited so far, Germans under Hitler occupied the country, then the Communists. Now they are returning to their own culture.  Ema said during one period every town and city had to have a statue of Lenin. Then Hitler.

Again, as in Poland, students are mainly studying English as their foreign language. 

Ema also talked about how there are two religions in Lithuania, Catholicism and Basketball.  Actually, every religion is represented in this country, but we did notice very tall people!

We headed to Palanga, a resort town, to visit the neo-Renaissance Tiškevičiai Palace, built in 1897, which is now an Amber Museum.  A beautifully maintained park surrounds the palace. Along the way, the land was flat, with woods and fields.  Ema said that if there is a hill 90 feet high, they call it a mountain. 

From the bus it was a 20 minute walk to the estate.

This beautiful statue was along the way.

Amber! Soon I will know everything there is to know about amber and so might you if you are still with me on this amber journey! My excuse: I am learning all about this interesting gem for my brother who makes beautiful necklaces out of quartz, lapis, jade, and many other “rocks.”  In other words, I am going with "my brother made me do it."

While at the museum I spotted a book, Baltic Amber. I asked if I could purchase the book--of course. The lady at the ticket desk said, "I wrote it!"  I asked if she would sign it and she did--it is a wonderful and informative book. By Renee Makauskiene and published by the Lithuanian Museum of Art. Good eye, Janie!

The estate at Palanga

Baltic Amber, by Renee Makauskiene

Raw amber as found

Raw amber

Lizard in amber

I am so happy that my DSLR is taking

such great photos! This was taken 

through a magnifying glass

Flying insect in amber

Copies of figures made during

the Stone Age

Originals were stolen in

World War II, but well-documented

Early amber necklace, c. 900 AD

Cross from old Tytuvenal Church

late 16th-17th century

Chess anyone?

not sure how old this set is

Chess Set created in 1977

We counted at least 5 robot lawnmowers

mowing the lawn!

Favorite Foods:

• Potato dumplings served with bacon and butter
• Cold Pink Soup (Saltibarscai)—made with beets, etc.
• Black rye bread—it is said that each Lithuanian eats 242 pounds of black rye bread a year. Wow. Just wow! They also like fried black rye bread as a snack
• Boletus Soup in a bread bowl (with mushrooms)
• Branched cake (Sakotis)—I need to know more about this—TK saw this on YouTube, too.
• 
  Branched cake-not my photo
  
  Šakotis (literally "branched") is a tall, spike-covered cake made by ladling thin yolk-rich batter onto a slowly rotating wooden spit over a coal fire, layer by layer, until the cake builds up to roughly 11-19 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Being the skilled baker that I am, I will probably never try making this.
• 
  

Language: Lithuanian, a Baltic language, is the oldest Indo-European language. Ema said that Lithuanian and Latvian languages are the only Baltic languages surviving today.

LEFT OVER FROM SUNDAY:

I had trouble downloading photos yesterday for the already long blog, so I am adding them today.

Clock tower in Gdansk

Janie and TK make pierogies!

TK is so darn cute, and serious!

Our pierogi, ready to eat!

TK had beef stroganoff for dinner

last night. It was closer to what we think

of as beef stroganoff

WITH PICKLES??????

Pistachio pudding! (Sunday)

Dessert Monday--we were going to play "Guess this food,"

but we forgot the name and you would not be able to guess

Will write later!

TK’s Takes: No Aldi’s, just Lidl. Not as many bicycles as in Poland. Thirty minutes to wait for burger at the grill on the Pool Deck 14."

Janie’s Take: Beware of Ship Port Lecturers who say, “Poland has birds, animals, and fish.” Really??  It would take me a long time to think of an inhabited country without birds, animals, or fish.

WE MADE PIEROGIS IN GDANSK, POLAND!

Sunday, August 9/ Gdansk, Poland
Sapphire Princess on the Baltic Sea
75F and sunny!

TK makes pierogies! 

View this morning from our balcony

in Gdynia

We have anticipated our stop in Gdansk, Poland for a long time and finally here we are on a sunny, mild day! Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland. With a population of 470,000 it is Poland's sixth largest city and its major seaport. Poland’s population is about 38 million people. We learned so much today from our wonderful tour guide, Joanna L.

The ship is in port in Gdynia, a short drive from Gdansk (45 minutes with no traffic). We boarded the bus and were easily on our way.   On the way to the city, we learned how Gdynia was only a fishing village that was created as a new city only 100 years ago.  The history of Poland is much longer—spanning over a thousand years, from medieval times, becoming a Catholic nation, a monarchy to two world wars, communism, and now democracy.  Teutonic knights, the German people, Mennonites, and the Pope all played a part.

Bridge over Motlawa River in Gdansk

Before Poland was liberated from Nazi Germany, 90% of Gdansk was destroyed. The country was liberated by the Russians. The people wanted to rebuild and the Communists wanted their architecture, but the people wanted the buildings reconstructed as they were. Some compromise was achieved and on our way the city we could see the difference—stern buildings, compared to Neo-Gothic, Gothic, even Baroque.

Another view of the  Motlawa River in Gdansk

Test your Polish!

Lech Walesa lived here

Joanna told us that from time to time he would

pop out of the door and introduce himself

as if people did not know who he was

After a short walk along the Motlawa River, into Main Town, down Ul. Dluga (street name), a quick trip to St. Mary’s Basilica, it was time to visit the restaurant where we would learn to make our own pierogi.   

Our teacher had carefully pre-prepared the ingredients and we each had our own station with flour, a dish of pork sausage, a dish of potato and onion, a bowl of dough, a fork, and a rolling pin. There were other fillings, some were sweet.  Before a quick demo we donned  a clear plastic apron and went to work. TK made sausage pierogi, I made potato and onion. We were good kids and did not get flour all over ourselves and others.  The teacher swept our carefully handmade pierogies away to cook—I think they were boiled—and we sat down to eat them.  TK was adorably in his element.  We ate pierogies in Poland!!

Gdanski Bowke on Dlugie Pobrzeze 11

Restaurant/Bar

TK makes pierogies!

The pierogies were quite tasty with sour cream. Neither of us need sweet pierogies though. I had a chance to ask Joanna about the surname, Golab.  Without hesitation she said it means “dove.” I asked her about golabki—she said doves in a blanket. She also pronounced it go-wumb---one can definitely hear the "b" on the end. That settles that—it is what I believed all along.  In French the word for dove is la colombe.  In Latin in is columba---I am not an etymologist, but it would appear that the word for dove in Polish might derive from Latin!

The bottom line says Golabki

I also asked Joanna about Lublin, Poland, the city Tim’s grandparents and my son’s great grandparents came from.  She said that Lublin was a very poor area and people migrated away to find a better life. That is research for another day!

After all that fun and eating we had a little time to check out more amber and Starbucks.  Since today was Sunday, open shops were limited.

Sights as we strolled along

Fountain

A fabulous city walk

Polish auto license plate

Another view of the street

St. Mary's Basilica

one of the largest brick churches 

in Europe--not always a Catholic Church

Detail in St. Mary's Basilica

Note the dragon spout-

Of course a galleon greeted us along the river

Another amber lesson!

On the way back to Gdansk, Joanna explained about schools and the health system in Poland.

First, she talked about the Mennonites in Poland, were a historic community that settled primarily in the Vistula delta and Mazovia from the 16th century, contributing significantly to agriculture and cultural heritage before being displaced after World War II. She said if we knew any Mennonites to thank them for Poland!

Gdansk, the birthplace of Solidarity

School from primary through university is free. It is mandatory for children to go to school for 8 years, starting at age 7. Parents are put in jail if they do not send their children to school.  After 8 years students take an exam to go to secondary school.  After that they take another exam and depending on that score they go to different universities if they wish.

When the country was Communist, studying Russian was mandatory.  Now the most popular language to study is English, followed by Spanish, Italian, French, and rarely Russian.

Health care is very good and free.

It is incredible to think about some of the things Joanna mentioned—

1990 was the first time they were able to watch American TV/movies. For example, they loved Tom & Jerry and Dynasty. Previously that they had to watch Communist propaganda. She remembered the jingle, "Coffee without Cremora was like Dynasty without Alexa."  Miami Vice—everyone had a crush on Don Johnson till Dirty Dancing and Patrick Swayze came along. They got used to British humor (not easy at first, Joanna said), like Mr. Bean, Monty Python, Allo! Allo! and Hyacinth.

They knew they arrived when McDonald’s showed up, in 1994. That was forbidden in Communist countries.

Poland was admitted to NATO in 1999.  There were growing pains, problems with corruption and crime, but that has improved vastly.

Americans are very fortunate------ 

Language: Polish and Czechoslovakian are similar, and they can understand each other. There are only 3 tenses in Polish, past, present, and future. English has 16 tenses.  There are 7 cases in Polish. In English there are three: Nominative (subjective): used for the subject of a sentence, Accusative (objective): used for the object of a verb, and Genitive (possessive): used to show ownership.  That is enough grammar lessons for today.

 And most likely, Dear Readers, you are indeed sleepy----time for TK’s Takes!

TK’s Takes:  Poland is 10 out of 10. Our tour guide was great. We did not have enough time in Gdansk.  We needed measurements and ingredients so we can make pierogi at home, but now we know the process. Lots of people with dogs. We spotted Lidl’s, Circle K, Burger King, BP, Chinese, and Mexican restaurants.

Of course we bought a Starbucks cup!

SEA DAY AND AMBER!

Saturday, August 8, 2026--Happy Birthday, Denise!
On the Baltic Sea/Aboard Sapphire Princess
72F and sunny

TK took this great photo from our 

stateroom this morning!

Sea days are not too exciting.  I cannot believe I slept another 10 hours.  The seas are calm.  We are about 274 miles from Copenhagen, cruising at 18 miles per hour.  There are few ships on the sea.  We did see Rugen, Germany—Germany’s largest island, 357 square miles. I actually did not know that Germany had any islands, and it has 97 with 76 inhabited!  We were able to see the chalky cliffs while having lunch.  Dear Readers, did you know about the German islands??

Chalky Cliffs on Rugen, Germany
(not my photo)

TK spotted a ship along the way-

we haven't seen very many

Since knowing about amber is my new quest for information, I went to an enrichment lecture—WOW! All the things I do not know.  Keep in mind the following information is from Janie’s notes. 

We all know that when any tree is injured it produces resin to heal itself. Over time the “scab” drops off tree.  The Baltic Sea was once a huge forest of all kinds of trees (lecturer said bigger than the size of the Great Lakes combined).  Glaciers arrived 20 million years ago leaving a lake twelve thousand years ago.  The forest floor became a seabed.

Then the lecturer jumped to:

• In November-March the Baltic Sea is rough.  The amber pieces on the seabed are churned up, break away from the seabed, and are swept along to the shore.  
• Today people in rubber suits and boots wade into the sea (Baltic) with fishing nets and scoop up the amber
• Amber is considered Baltic gold
• Amber was once worshipped as godlike—when held up to the light it looks like the sun.
• There are 320 colors and shades of amber
• Amber has healing properties—the resin healed trees! During the Black Plague it was used successfully to help people recover. Lecturer said that when we visit Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia we will see amber creams for arthritis and rheumatism. We will also see tablets for heartburn—ground up amber
• True amber is at least 40 million years old minimum
• Insects and floral material are in less than 1% of amber-- Over 500 extinct insects have been found in amber
• Amber is an organic gem—2-2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale (1 is lowest/talc—10 is highest/diamond
• Other organic gemstones include pearls, coral, and jet. They are derived from living organisms
• After the movie, Jurassic Park, amber became more popular.
• Tests for true amber: floats in salt water; hot needle test-produces smoke and emits a distinct aroma, like pine or burning incense + it is hard to penetrate with a needle; place amber in refrigerator for 1 hour—when removed true amber will still be the same temperature; static electricity—rub the “amber” on your pants-if a piece of tissue will stick to it—it is not amber

A FEW COLORS OF AMBER and age

• Lemon yellow—young—40 million years
• Green—in Baltic area only—50 million years—rare
• Honeycomb—most common—55 million years (has inclusions)
• Cherry—60 million years--rare
• Butterscotch—65 million years

That is probably enough rambling about amber!

We attended the Veteran Get Together--it is always nice to meet the veterans on board. Today there were about 30 veterans, representing all branches. Five were veterans of the Australian Army and each of them served with the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan during conflict. One woman veteran.  TK and I sat with several Navy vets, and one served on the Shangri-La in Mediterranean. I think Friend H's father was on the Shangri-La.

Tonight was a formal night, and we dressed in nicer duds. The only photo for dinner was TK’s dessert.

TK's hazelnut souffle

 

Along the Baltic

Happy Birthday, Denise!!

Tk’s Takes:  He said if he didn’t know better, he would think we were in the Caribbean, the sea was that calm.  He also noted that Mamma Mia was playing on the movie screen this afternoon and wanted to share that fact with Lawrence, our dear cruise friend from Wisconsin